Vegan Lasagna

I’ve seen a few foodie friends posting their extra cheesy and delicious looking lasagnas lately and it’s really put me in the mood to make one myself. Years ago I figured out a way of reducing the sodium in a standard (meat) lasagna, by substituting silken tofu for ricotta cheese. I got to thinking about this yesterday, how I’d mash the tofu with an egg and use that as filling. But on a vegan diet eggs are out; would the plain tofu work? I was at the grocery store yesterday when it came to me. That big tub of organic greens I’d just bought on sale would be perfect for a vegan lasagna! I could mix the tofu with that and it wouldn’t have to stand alone.

I grabbed some oven-ready noodles and headed home. Last night when I pulled my very first vegan lasagna from the oven, while my children looked on with skepticism, I knew in my heart it was going to be great. And you know what? It was! Completely salt/meat/dairy AND egg free and still as delicious as the others I’ve made. It isn’t gooey with cheese because it doesn’t have any. But I didn’t miss it and I don’t think you will either.

A note on products. Red Star Nutritional Yeast stands in for Parmesan for a “cheese” like topping. It’s sold at Whole Foods markets and many natural food stores. If you’ve never used it before, it’s terrific in this recipe and much more. Sprinkle it on popcorn, pasta, anything you’d like to perk up; it’s got a zingy cheese-like taste and is super nutritious. And at a mere 11 mg sodium per serving, feel free to pour it on!

Get out a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Spoon slightly more than a cup of sauce into the bottom of the pan and spread evenly. Place a layer of lasagna noodles over top, overlapping the edges just slightly. Set aside.

Place the onion and garlic into a stockpot over medium heat. Saute until soft, then add the fresh greens. Cook, stirring, until greens have wilted completely and released some of their juice. Remove pot from heat. Place entire contents (including liquid) into a food processor, cover and pulse until finely chopped.

Place the silken tofu into a mixing bowl and whisk to break up any chunks. Once the tofu is smooth, add the finely chopped greens and stir well to combine. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.

Spoon roughly one third of the filling onto the noodles in the pan, then smooth to even. Top with another layer of noodles, overlapping the edges just slightly, then repeat twice more.

Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the last layer of noodles, then sprinkle the nutritional yeast flakes over top.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place on the middle rack in the oven. Bake 50 minutes, until lasagna is piping hot and noodles are soft. Remove from oven, carefully remove the foil and serve immediately.

13 Responses to Vegan Lasagna

I know I shouldn’t be directing your photoshoots, but those first and last pictures really need a set of eyes staring creepily over the side of the plate. Or maybe your humping animal cracker. Either would please me.

Yep these pics were not my best. It’s hard to get good (natural) light in the kitchen at dinnertime, esp. now that the sun’s going down even earlier. IT IS SO COLD HERE TODAY!! We woke up this morning to the first frost. This weekend’s supposed to be warm, BRING IT ON!!!!!!

PS: I hope some of you will try this vegan lasagna. Seriously tasty stuff.

Brilliant using the tofu! Keeps the calories down and the protein up! I have been thinking about switching to easy vegetarian meals for my lunches to save money (meat is expensive!). The only tricky part is that I like to have a higher protein diet and its tough getting enough without the meat. I don’t want to completely depend on tofu but I might have to give this a try! I could make it on Sunday and eat it all week!
~Ang

Looks and sounds great! I love veggies in my lasagna. Just made one with broccoli. I love the options you talked about here too. And I hear you about the lighting this time of year – it’s getting trickier!

Angela, I really think you’ll like this and it’s very easy to make. Although I liked it best straight out of the oven, I did eat it the next day (love the leftovers) and it was still v. tasty. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Thanks so much Sandi!

Linda – fall through early spring I have to make whatever I’m featuring first thing, just to get enough light to photograph it properly. If I wait till actual dinnertime – forget it!

Hi! That looks so good and I will definitely want to try this. Quick question – what brand of lasagne noodles did you use to make it completely vegan? I’d like to get a hand on one, but most in the ready made pasta are usually the typical one (flour, eggs and oil based). Would be great to get some good reference! Thank you!

Hi Tari! Yes, it can be hard to find vegan oven-ready lasagna noodles. I’ve found one national brand – Ronzoni – and a couple local store brands (one at Hannaford, one at Shaw’s) that are egg-free. Really hope this helps! ENJOY!